About

Hi there and thanks for checking out StaticshotPhotography.com

I’m a small-time photographer based in Barry, tucked in the Vale of Glamorgan.

My affinity for photography started at a young age where I was regularly given one of those disposable, single use cameras for my school trips.I remember taking it to places like Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire and once to the RAF (MOD) St Athan where a Lancaster Bomber was on show.

As time progressed, I moved into the world of film photography with my first camera from my Auntie.I never quite got the hang of things in the early days and I didn’t understand the mechanics of photography hence there was many a blurred photo and wasted cartridge.My parents tended to pay for the developing, so you can imagine their faces when most of the finished pieces were out of focus and wrong.

As my skills picked up, my parents but me the gift of a Kodak C400 – Advanced Photo System camera which cleverly allowed you to take photos in one of three styles and came with a screen on the back to get the perfect shot.I took this everywhere with me and still have plenty of the photos with my today, in particular of a trip to Newquay in Cornwall many moons ago.As processing became more expensive and the digital movement started to move in, my parents upgraded me to my first digital point and shoot camera in the form of a Kodak Easyshare C300 – It came with a whole 3.2MP.
It took pretty good photos at the time but not necessarily to the standard of the film-based ones I was taking.It was just great to have instant access to my pictures and it very likely helped to fill my parents pockets in the process.

I inevitably went into Media Production at the University of Glamorgan where I studied photography and digital manipulation as part of a degree, Unfortunately it was around this time that things took a turn for the worst.Anxiety & depression issues stepped in which resulted in me losing confidence in my own work and in myself.I tried to force myself to take a camera out, but put too much pressure on myself that I couldn’t bare to physically take the camera out of the bag.As time went on, things got worse, led to a total photographers block and finally resulted in the demise of my course at University.

I’ve battled for many years to get back into things through the consistent purchase and sale of various digital SLR cameras including a Canon EOS 350D, a Canon EOS 70D and a couple of cheaper film based cameras including a Ricoh SLR and a Nikon SLR.My anxiety problems made me feel really uncomfortable taking my camera as I always worried about what other people would think of me and how I would look to them.This led to a real on and off relationship with photography that I just couldn’t pin down.

Well, after having gone through various counselling sessions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy sessions and now reaching a point in life where I’m happy just being me, learning not to worry about what other people think, I feel like I’m where I need to be to really make a go of Photography again.

Enter the latest weapons in my photography arsenal.A Panasonic Lumix G80 with mirrorless technology, 4k editing and all the functionality you could ever need from a camera.I have bought a subscription to Photoshop services including Lightroom and the latest CC edition, as well as started an online course in digital manipulation.

Getting back into photography is allowing me to work on something personal and creative.Both the elements of photography and photo editing have brought back the spark I used to feel back when I was younger.I’m pleased to say that I’m really having fun in getting back out there.

I’m really into the nature, landscape and the abstract side of things so expect to see copious amounts of greenery, experimentation and more of my favourite subjects.I’ve started adding photos from my much, much earlier days and aim to bring this website up to date with my current trend of ideas and photos.